When reflecting upon the Philadelphia 76ers’ disastrous 2024-25 season, two factors immediately come to mind – injuries and inconsistency. Those two items single-handedly derailed Philadelphia’s championship aspirations and caused arguably the most disappointing season in its 62-year history. Paul George – who was viewed as the needle-mover that the 76ers needed ahead of this season – shared a similar sentiment in his exit press conference.
George opened up about his struggles
According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, George said Philadelphia was in a scramble throughout the year. George also admitted that this was one of the most challenging seasons of his 14-year career, between the injuries he dealt with and the 57 losses the 76ers tallied—the highest number of defeats they endured since the 2016-17 campaign.
George appeared in just 41 games for Philadelphia this year, the lowest mark of his career since the 2021-22 season when he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. This also marks the seventh time in his career that he played less than 65 games in the regular season.
Throughout the year, George’s availability was limited by injuries to his finger, knee, and groin, which resulted in him being shut down for the rest of the season on March 17th. The nine-time all-star revealed that he’s feeling a lot healthier, but he’s taking things slow. The issues within his finger are nonexistent and his groin and knee injuries are progressing. George doesn’t suspect that those lingering injuries will impact his training in the coming offseason via Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice.
George averaged an underwhelming 16.2 points per game on 54.3% true-shooting (3.3% below league average), 5.3 rebounds per game, and 4.3 assists per game this season. He posted his lowest scoring output since the 2014-15 campaign where he notched 8.8 points per game in just six appearances. A notable reason for George’s apparent decline is the fact that he only shared the floor with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey for 15 games this season where the 76ers went 7-8.
The 76ers need to get healthy and familiar with each other
Heading into next season, Philadelphia desperately needs a clean bill of health above anything else and George seemed to agree. According to Derek Bodner, George believes the 76ers can compete for a championship next season, but feels that in order to do so, they need to develop continuity and form an identity – two aspects of team-building that were almost nonexistent this season.
To make that happen, George revealed that he had conversations with Embiid and Maxey about bonding throughout the offseason, Aaronson reported. While a team’s morale doesn’t always equal success on the hardwood, it allows players to feel more comfortable with each other, which can account for a higher level of productivity. Aaronson also detailed that George said his chemistry with Embiid on and off the court improved this season.
Things are looking up for the 76ers
As Maxey said in his exit press conference, which took place shortly after George’s, “The only way to go is up”. He stated that his finger is feeling better, but he’ll likely need another month to recover and return to form, Aaronson reported. On Friday the 76ers announced that Embiid successfully underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and he’ll be re-evaluated in six weeks, which will be in the later stages of May. It’s been a frustrating ride for fans, executives, and players alike, but it seems that Philadelphia is at last starting to recover.
Following the 76ers’ season finale against the Chicago Bulls this afternoon, Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse will have a joint press conference together, Marc Stein revealed on his Substack. Stein also noted that this joint venture is likely a strong indication that Morey and Nurse will remain in Philadelphia, despite such a nightmarish season.
Though their season will be wrapped up after today, the 76ers will face one of their most pressing events in recent franchise history – the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on May 12th. Philadelphia has the chance to either lose or retain its 2025 first-round pick, which could drastically alter its vision for both the short and long term. George said it best: “Hopefully we retain our top pick and find another young talent,” Aaronson announced.